Squirrel-cage bearing supports comprise a plurality of beams extending between a bearing holder end and a support base. The beams are subjected to cyclic cantilever-type deflections due to the radial forces that result from the vibration of a rotating shaft supported by the bearing. Accordingly, to ensure that the stresses induced in the beams are kept at an acceptable level and to obtain optimum dynamic properties, squirrel-cage bearing supports must be of a certain minimum axial length to accommodate an acceptable amount of radial movement of the rotating shaft. Consequently, this minimum axial length becomes a constraint in the attempt to reduce the size of gas turbine engines and minimize weight.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a compact bearing support that can still have excellent mechanical properties.